1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to footwear, and in particular the present invention relates to articles of footwear that include a woven strap system disposed along the entirety of the article of footwear.
2. Description of Related Art
Articles of footwear generally include some kind of provision that secures the outsole to a wearer's foot. Often, an upper is provided that encloses the wearer's foot and secures the outsole beneath the foot. In articles of footwear that are configured to be open, such as sandals, the article of footwear may include only a partial upper. In some cases, the upper may comprise solid portions as well as woven portions. These woven portions may be constructed of overlapping strips of material. Often, the woven portions provide some ventilation for the article of footwear.
Woven shoes have been previously proposed. Hurwit (U.S. Pat. No. 2,161,472) teaches an oxford shoe in which a substantial connection is established between the upper and the insole, and presenting lacing of a character to form a weave of closely associated strands connecting the upper and the sole. In particular, the weave consists of strips of preferably leather material. A drawback to this design is that the strips woven through the shoe may not be used to adjustably tighten the article of footwear to a wearer's foot.
A second type of woven shoe, including strips woven along the entirety of the shoe, is taught by Finn (U.S. Pat. No. D.300,781). However, Finn's design does not incorporate any type of lacing system or adjustable straps. Therefore, like the design of Hurwit, the article of footwear taught by Finn may not be adjustably tightened to a wearer's foot.
Generally, woven shoes are designed for casual or light walking. Woven shoes are often not suitable for extensive walking or hiking. In contrast, some types of sandals including woven straps have been configured to accommodate athletic endeavors such as hiking.
Bathum (U.S. Pat. No. 6,493,965) teaches a sandal including a front strap and a rear strap that are interlocked by means of a weave connection. This design may further include a pair of opposing lateral straps as well as an ankle strap. These straps may be individually adjusted to tighten the sandal to the wearer's foot. Additionally, each strap is coupled to a foot bed configured to receive the wearer's foot.
While the related art teaches various articles of footwear that are configured to be open, such as woven shoes and sandals, there are many shortcomings. The types of footwear discussed here lack a provision for tightly securing the entirety of the shoe, including the outsole, to a wearer's foot. Specifically, the prior art lacks provisions for pulling the outer edges of the outsole close to the wearer's foot. Including such provisions may increase the stability of the article of footwear during activities such as hiking. There is a need in the art for an article of footwear including a provision for wrapping the entirety of the outsole about a wearer's foot, including the outer edges of the outsole.